mirceax / Getty Images
Ask any vegetable gardener about beans and pull up a chair.
Some growlima beans,dry beans or wax beans but almost every home garden has a patch ofgreen beans.
Beans grow quickly and don’t need much attention until it’s time to pick them.
mirceax / Getty Images
They can be succession planted and add nitrogen back into soil as an ideal rotation crop.
Like most garden vegetables, though, beans are not foolproof.
What Are Bean Leaf Beetles?
Bean leaf beetles are 1/4 inch long and may be yellow-green to red in color.
Larvae are small, slender white grubs with dark coloring at both ends.
Seedlings and young plants are vulnerable.
Plants may be stunted and high populations can decimate a garden crop.
Larvae feed on roots but rarely do enough damage to kill the plant.
Want more gardening tips?
How Long Do Bean Leaf Beetles Live?
Two generations are active during the growing season from mid-May to mid-June and mid-July to mid-August.
The second hatch takes place in August or September.
If you see even one in your bean crop take steps to avoid an infestation.
Here are some methods to discourage this pest.
Tachinid flies are second only to parasitic wasps for controlling pests of vegetable crops.
Tachinid flies lay their eggs under the skin of the host pest.
Larvae hatch and feed on the host killing it before pupating and becoming adults to continue the life cycle.
Alfalfa, clover and some leguminous weeds are early food sources for this pest.
The diet of this garden pest is almost totally limited to legumes.
Tachinid Flies.University of Maryland Extension Office.
